Posts Tagged ‘Samsung’

Samsung revealed on Wednesday that it would try to stop the release of Apple’s new iPhone 4S in France and Italy with filings seeking injunctions on the new smartphone. Samsung’s complaints (via WSJ) will center on two instances of alleged patent infringement related to WCDMA standards for 3G connectivity.

The patents in question are considered “essential,” which means that Samsung has an obligation to license them to any competitor on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms in the EU. Samsung has previously attempted to block the sale of Apple products on similar grounds in the Netherlands. In that case Apple argued that it had been attempting to comply with the FRAND licensing requirement but was still in the process of negotiations with Samsung based on price. A preliminary decision on the validity of Samsung’s complaint is expected next week.

It was a move that Apple likely saw coming, as reports have surfaced recently that this was indeed what Samsung had planned to do. It also makes sense that Samsung would want to retaliate against the multiple injunction attempts that Apple has consistently aimed at Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Galaxy smartphone devices in various global markets.

Apple has won a preliminary injunction in a Dutch court on Wednesday which prevents the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones in the Netherlands, and could affect sales across the E.U., FOSS Patents reports. The blog has a copy of the official court order, which states that the injunction will take effect in seven weeks’ time, around mid-October.

The injunction, which was issued by the Rechtbank’s-Gravenhage (a Dutch court located in The Hague), applies only to the Galaxy line of smartphones, including the Galaxy S II Samsung debuted this spring, and not Galaxy tablets. It applies to three different Samsung subsidiaries based in the Netherlands, where Samsung’s primary European logistics hub is located, which means that shipping Galaxy devices to other European countries will likely require Samsung to reroute its operations. The injunction relates specifically to one device patent about mobile devices as used for photo management, and could apply to other European countries where that patent is also valid.

An earlier decision by a German court temporarily blocked sales of the Galaxy tablet line in the E.U., but sales have resumed outside of Germany pending further examination into how broadly the court can rule.

The Dutch court’s decision is the result of a request made by Apple that resulted in a hearing held on Aug. 10 and 11. At the time, the court promised a decision on the matter no later than Sept. 15, so this comes much earlier than expected.

Apple’s patent battles are likely only going to get more heated thanks to Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola, counter-actions like Samsung’s claim of prior art related to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the case of Galaxy Tab patent infringement claims, and HTC’s recent suit. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the legal wrangling continues.

Apple’s iOS handset sales are mainly generated from from one new model per year, although older models also contribute. Android sales are derived from a vast number of different phones using Google’s platform.

The U.S. is poised, however, to see these two companies go head to head. It’s expected that Apple will announce and release a new iPhone in August or September. Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 2 in May, spreading availability to many countries outside of the U.S. and claims 5 million sales in just 85 days.

Several U.S. versions of the Galaxy S 2, varying by carrier, are likely to launch within the next month or two, including at least one for AT&T that may have a hardware keyboard. AT&T accounted for more than 17 percent of all iPhone sales last quarter, so that particular battleground should prove interesting.

At 6.5 ounces, the phone is heavier than most smartphones, but the main reason is due to the 4-row QWERTY keyboard that hides under the 3.7-inch display. A 1.2 GHz dual-core chip keeps the phone moving along quickly and the wide aperture 8 megapixel camera is paired with smart software that supports a fast burst mode, HDR images and wide panoramic views.

Thanks to its Android strategy, Samsung is quickly rising through the ranks and is soon expected to be the top smartphone seller in the world. The company will surpass Nokia to claim the no. 1 spot as early as this quarter due to a long-term plan that began with the Samsung Galaxy last June. Other Android device makers have reaped benefits too, but Samsung’s approach has been calculated and methodical.

Instead of building a wide range of Android devices, Samsung focused on one, the Galaxy S, and then tweaked it for different carriers and regions, saving on research & development, as well as manufacturing costs. The company also designs and builds its own processors, flash memory and displays, helping to eliminate reliance on component providers. Samsung also has its own media ecosystem for books, music and videos, plus it created a backup plan to Android: Phones running the company’s Bada operating system outsold Windows Phone 7 devices in the first quarter of this year.

Other Android phone makers are trying to replicate Samsung’s approach, but supplement it with new features that differentiate. Smartphones with 3-D video capabilities are appearing, helped in part by more capable chips, graphic processors and display technologies. But consumers don’t want to wear 3-D glasses to view this content and two handsets aim to deliver a glasses-free vision.

The LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D both use a stereoscopic display to show both pictures and videos in 3-D without glasses. LG demonstrated its 3-D Android phone in February and now says it’s rolling out in Europe. Here in the U.S., consumers will see the HTC Evo 3D on June 24. The phone, for Sprint’s 3G / WiMAX network, will cost $199 after contract, comes with Android 2.3.3, HTC Sense 3.0, and a pair of 5 megapixel cameras for capturing pictures or 720p video in 3-D. I took an early look at a review unit to demonstrate how the 3-D functionality works, which surprisingly, was impressive.

Also impressive to many is the Swype keyboard for Android, which now claims 50 million downloads. The unique input system allows you to trace your letters, making for quick text entry with just a single hand. Swype debuted the next version of its keyboard, 3.0, in a public beta this week and it just may have me switching keyboards on my smartphone. The new version includes a tap word prediction function and support for displays up to 960 x 540 resolution. Swype is adding support for Honeycomb tablets as well, allowing for the keyboard to be resized or moved on the larger display of a slate.

News out of Finland has put Samsung as the latest potential buyer of ailing mobile vendor Nokia, shifting focus from Microsoft, which was also rumoured to be tabling a bid for the company.

The Wall Street Journal has attempted to chase Nokia and Samsung for comment – predictably, both have responded with statements that they do not comment on rumours.

Reports of a Samsung takeover by the WSJ may hold more weight than the speculative tweets of industry insider Eldar Murtazin, although the pundit has successfully predicted acquisitions and partnerships in the past. Nokia recently moved to state that Murtazin was “getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment” but did not categorically rule out an acquisition by Microsoft.

Nokia, which is currently working on readying Windows Phone devices to release in the fourth quarter of 2011, recently laid off 7,000 staff as it tried to streamline operations.

If Samsung was to acquire the stricken manufacturer, it would position the company as the top Windows Phone provider, in addition to the success of its Android offerings.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal discussing Samsung’s push to embrace Android for its future tablet products, Samsung’s president of mobile communications J.K. Shin notes that the company is seemingly unconcerned over Apple’s lawsuit alleging that Samsung has copied the design and technology of the iPhone and iPad

with its products. Shin does note, however, that the dispute could continue to escalate, although he apparently has not elaborated on potential scenarios.

“We didn’t copy Apple’s design,” Mr. Shin said. “We have used many similar designs over the past years and it [Apple’s allegation] will not be legally problematic.” He suggested the scale of the lawsuit could grow, though he didn’t provide more details.

Apple last week was granted access to unreleased (albeit already announced) Samsung hardware as part of the discovery phase in which Apple’s lawyers build the background for their case. In response, Samsung filed a motion requesting access to Apple’s next-generation iPhone and iPad models, despite the fact that Apple has yet to even acknowledge that such devices exist.

Samsung andApple are of course significant partners in the mobile industry, a relationship that makes the competition between the two firms in the marketplace and in the courtroom all the more interesting.

Samsung is the jewel of South Korea, so it’s no surprise to hear that their phones are some of the most popular selling devices in their native country. The first Galaxy S took just 70 days to sell 1 million units, but the newer Galaxy S II that’s just been launched obliterated that record and has managed to ship the same 1 million units in only 30 days. That makes the Galaxy S II the fastest selling smartphone in South Korea, faster than even the iPhone 4. When Samsung was asked what they attribute to the fabulous sales, they talked about the improved screen, 21 Mbps 3G modem, 8.9 mm body, and the new version of TouchWiz. Oddly they didn’t mention the dual core processor inside or near field communication (NFC). It’s expected that 10 million Galaxy S II units will be sold by the end of 2011, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see that number hitting 11 or 12 million, especially after it comes to America’s shores on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.

Looking into our crystal ball, what might the next Galaxy S have inside and when will it hit the market? J.K. Shin, President of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Division, told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview that the Galaxy S III will launch during the first half of 2012, but failed to provide any more details. We’re thinking that like the Galaxy S II it’s going to feature a dual core processor and NFC, but instead of a 4.3 inch screen it’ll shrink back down to a more manageable 4 inch display that will be ultra compact too since it’ll run Ice Cream Sandwich, which we believe will pave the way for Android devices with no physical buttons on the front of the handset.

Expect to hear a lot more leaks come out as we get closer to February 2012, the likely month when the Galaxy S III will be unveiled.

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